There are four spelling inventories that are used to assess the students' level. The most common are the Primary, Elementary and Upper Spelling Inventory.These inventories are designed to assess the word knowledge students bring to their reading and spelling. Students are not to study these words since that would invalidate the purpose of this inventory which is to find out what they truly know. You can administer this same list of words several times a year: early Term 1, end of Term Two or beginning of Term 3, and at the end of Term 4 to measure students’ progress.
Have students spell enough words to give a sense of the range of ability in your class.
Kindergarten Spelling Inventory
2. Score each child's test. When you are scoring, you are looking for two things…..features and correct spelling
3. Analyse the Features that the Child Spelt Correctly. Look at each child’s test to see what features they have correct, and mark only those features that are correct. The word may be spelled wrongly, but you are only focused on specific features e.g. they may spell Number 5 'hop' instead of 'hope'. In this word, the features you are looking for are: beginning and ending sounds, and use of the long o sound. If the child spells it as 'hop', you can mark h and p because those two elements are correct. However, you would not mark the o-e feature, because the child is using but confusing the long vowel. 4. Transfer the Data onto the Classroom Composite Sheet Once you have scored your whole class , stack them according to stage score from lowest to highest. Do not write your students' names on the grid until you have stacked them in order of stage score. Organising groups will be easier to arrange if they are in score order rather than alphabetical order.
5. Determining Which Stage to Begin Once students have been placed in their appropriate stage, instruction begins for the students at what is termed the stage where they are “using but confusing” i.e. the spelling features they are beginning to use but confuse. Students can be grouped for instruction according to the spelling developmental stages. Student groups can be further differentiated by the three additional stages within each developmental stage or grade level. These stages are early, middle, and late.
Look for what students know -this is their INDEPENDENT level
Look for what students are 'using but confusing' - this is their INSTRUCTIONAL level
Leave absent what they do not know - this is their FRUSTRATIONAL level
TEACH TO WHAT THE CHILD IS 'USING BUT CONFUSING' NOT WHAT IS ABSENT
6. Keeping Ongoing Assessments Each term, it is important to retest the students in order to track progress. Here is an example of an easy assessment recording sheet for planning purposes:
Spelling Inventories
There are four spelling inventories that are used to assess the students' level. The most common are the Primary, Elementary and Upper Spelling Inventory.These inventories are designed to assess the word knowledge students bring to their reading and spelling. Students are not to study these words since that would invalidate the purpose of this inventory which is to find out what they truly know. You can administer this same list of words several times a year: early Term 1, end of Term Two or beginning of Term 3, and at the end of Term 4 to measure students’ progress.
Have students spell enough words to give a sense of the range of ability in your class.
Kindergarten Spelling Inventory
Primary Spelling Inventory
Elementary Spelling Inventory
Upper Spelling Inventory
How to Use the Assessments
1. Administer the Test to the Whole Class together - here are some blank templates that you can use
2. Score each child's test. When you are scoring, you are looking for two things…..features and correct spelling
3. Analyse the Features that the Child Spelt Correctly.
Look at each child’s test to see what features they have correct, and mark only those features that are correct.
The word may be spelled wrongly, but you are only focused on specific features e.g. they may spell Number 5 'hop' instead of 'hope'. In this word, the features you are looking for are: beginning and ending sounds, and use of the long o sound. If the child spells it as 'hop', you can mark h and p because those two elements are correct. However, you would not mark the o-e feature, because the child is using but confusing the long vowel.
4. Transfer the Data onto the Classroom Composite Sheet
Once you have scored your whole class , stack them according to stage score from lowest to highest. Do not write your students' names on the grid until you have stacked them in order of stage score. Organising groups will be easier to arrange if they are in score order rather than alphabetical order.
5. Determining Which Stage to Begin
Once students have been placed in their appropriate stage, instruction begins for the students at what is termed the stage where they are “using but confusing” i.e. the spelling features they are beginning to use but confuse.
Students can be grouped for instruction according to the spelling developmental stages. Student groups can be further differentiated by the three additional stages within each developmental stage or grade level. These stages are early, middle, and late.
TEACH TO WHAT THE CHILD IS 'USING BUT CONFUSING' NOT WHAT IS ABSENT
6. Keeping Ongoing Assessments
Each term, it is important to retest the students in order to track progress. Here is an example of an easy assessment recording sheet for planning purposes: